From Ms Allum

Attendance at School 

As you would be aware, attendance at school is a legal requirement for every student under the age of 17. When students attend school every day for the full day, learning is easier, your daughter will develop important life skills such as resilience and perspective, and build stronger connections with her peers. With this in mind, families are asked to travel during school holidays and not during term time. This will ensure that the cumulative effect of your daughter’s unexpected absences (such as when she is sick or attending a funeral) is not further compounded by even more absences that could have occurred during non-term time.

I have been concerned about the increased number of absences during term-time without prior permission. We will be tightening up generally attendance at School, and we will only be granting leave in rare circumstances. We do already report unapproved absences on School Reports, and we are considering other ways to make attendance rates for individual students clearer, aiming to reduce absence rates across the board.

Non-attendance at school for any reason is associated with poorer outcomes for students, academically and socially. These are included in the diagram below:

There are many students at SCEGGS who do attend school more than 95% of the time (ie they are absent for no more than 1 or 2 days each term) and this is an attendance level that we think many more students and families should strive to achieve. Every day at school counts and we hope to see an improvement in school attendance for the rest of this year and beyond.  

For more information about our school guidelines for student absence applications at SCEGGS, please refer to the Parent Information Booklet available in the Parent Portal. 

We do want our girls to be present at school throughout the school year to provide every student with the opportunity to achieve their best and to flourish. We hope you will continue to support us in making attendance at school, all day, every day, the highest priority.

Jenny Allum
Head of School

Old Girls’ Career Evening

Have you wondered what it would be like to work as a crime scene investigator or to develop vaccines or start your own business or be the Communications and Engagement lead for a major organisation? You can find out about all these possibilities and more at the Old Girls’ Career Evening on Wednesday 8 May.

The evening will commence at 6.00pm in the Lecture Theatre with a 25-minute panel discussion. Students can then nominate two career sessions of interest, which will begin at 6.30pm for approximately 35 – 40 minutes each.

Click here to book your opportunity to hear first-hand about how to land your dream career from over 40 Old Girls returning to SCEGGS. Options include:

• Allied Health (Physiotherapist, Speech Therapist, Occupational Therapist and Dietician)
• Architects
• Award-winning Artists
• Actors, Writers, Directors
• Climate and Sustainability Senior Knowledge Analyst
• Director of Policy for a NSW MP
• Engineering (from graduate level to mechanical engineering and a process engineer)
• Fashion
• Head of Content Acquisition
• Interior Architect
• Law (Paralegal, Criminal Law and more)
• Property Development Manager
• Property Economists
• Marketing
• Medical (Doctors, Nurses)
• Process Engineer
• Renewable Energy
• Veterinary Science

Preview the program here to help plan your evening.

SCEGGS has a large community of past students who have forged amazing careers, and it will be such a great opportunity to meet some of them.

Drinks and refreshments will be served for students and accompanying parents – we hope to see you there!

Andrea Pinnock
Careers Adviser

The SCEGGS App

Cuts for Cancer

This year, Year 12 are looking forward to continuing the SCEGGS tradition of supporting the Leukaemia Foundation through participating in the World’s Greatest Shave. On Friday, 10 May, Year 12 will be cutting their hair to support patients, carers, healthcare professionals, researchers, and specialists. The hair cut and money raised will be donated to the Leukaemia Foundation, and the Year 12 cohort enthusiastically embrace the opportunity to contribute to their remarkable work. We deeply respect the significance of the Foundation and acknowledge the invaluable assistance they provide for patients and their families. Longer pieces of hair will be donated and used to make wigs for patients undergoing cancer treatment. Shorter hair will be used to mop up oil spills.

We invite the entire SCEGGS community to join us in this charity initiative. Your support through donations will enable us to reach our fundraising goal, and to make a difference in the lives of those affected by blood cancer.

Below is the QR code which will direct you to the SCEGGS fundraising page.

We appreciate your support and contribution to this important cause.

Thank you.

Arianne Moisidis and Isabelle Barlow
Year 12

Primary School Mother’s Day Breakfast

The Primary School warmly invites mothers, grandmothers and special parental figures to our Mother’s Day Breakfast. Please see the invitation below for details. We look forward to seeing you there!

Festival on Forbes 2024

The organisation of the Fair has begun in earnest!

Year Group Stalls have been allocated.

We are now looking for donations for the Silent Auction, raffles and various stalls such as the Gourmet Pantry, books and vintage clothing. If you are able to help, big or small, bespoke or in bulk, or if you are a local business we would love to hear from you.

Please feel free to contact us here.

The Festival on Forbes Committee

The SCEGGS P&F Association Years 11 & 12 Parent/Daughter Breakfast

Students in Years 11 and 12 and a parent/carer are warmly invited to attend the Parent/Daughter Breakfast:

We are thrilled to welcome back to SCEGGS Old Girl Milla MCPHEE (2007) as our guest speaker.

Recently returning to Australia after 10 years working in New York and the UK in the marketing and advertising industry, Milla is now the Chief Strategy Officer for The Monkeys (part of Accenture Song), one of Australia’s largest creative agencies.

Milla started her career as an academic in Behavioural Economics at The University of Sydney and then tried a short stint as a management consultant, before finding her true home in the creative industry. She spent five years as a brand and creative strategist at Droga5 Sydney, then in New York, working to earn Cannes Lions Indie Agency of the Year; Creativity Agency of the Year & Adweek Agency of the Decade. Milla then moved to London, heading up Strategy at adam&eveDDB, where she led her team to become the only strategy department to ever win the ‘Triple Crown of Effectiveness’ (APG, Effies & IPA Agencies of the Year), as well as Cannes Lions Global Agency of the Year and EU Agency of the Decade. After this, she did her time client side as Amazon’s Head of Brand & Creative Strategy, working on award-winning advertising for the global Alexa, Prime, Grocery and retail brands. 

In her current role, Milla leads brand, creative and advertising strategies for clients like Qantas, Telstra, NRMA, as well as government and non-profit brands. She’s also returned as a continuing academic at The University of Sydney Business School and is a regular panelist on ABC’s Gruen.  

To hear more about Milla’s career journey and her fascinating insights, join us on Friday 17 May!

Primary Poetry Week

Celebrating Poetry Week

There was movement at SCEGGS Primary,

For the word has passed around,

That a celebration of poetry was taking place,

It was the talk of the playground!

From Robert Frost and William Blake to Banjo Paterson and Dr. Seuss, poetry filled the Primary School classrooms as teachers and students explored the art form together in the last week of Term 1. Whether through oracy, reading, writing, drama, art or music, the girls were encouraged to embrace the emotion, joy, originality, and playfulness that poetry brings.

In Stage 3, the girls delved into poetry using mentor texts like The Road not Taken by Robert Frost and Tyger, Tyger by William Blake. Each class took part in Poetry in Action workshops, immersing themselves in the rhythm and imagery of these texts. The workshops not only inspired their own writing but also deepened their understanding of intent and techniques, particularly meter, as they embodied the musicality of each poem and created visual representations to enhance their comprehension.

Stage 2 commenced Poetry Week with a performance of Banjo Paterson’s classic poems, including Mulga Bill’s Bicycle, The Man from Iron Bark, and The Geebung Polo Club, alongside choral readings of selected poems. However, their exploration was not confined to the bush ballads of an Australian legend; they also immersed themselves in various poetic forms and literary techniques, further inspiring their own poetry writing.

The younger learners engaged in the rhythm, rhyme, and playfulness of poetry, captivated by the whimsical charm of Dr. Seuss! This immersion in poetry not only deepened their love for reading but also played an important role in cultivating a richer appreciation and understanding of language among our K-2 learners.

Poetry Week was a great way to end the term, showing us the magic of poetry and reminding us that everyone can be a poet in their own special way.

We hope you enjoy some of the student’s work below:

Exploring the question-What is poetry?

Poetry is a broad and unique genre of writing, composed to express feelings and thoughts. It uses techniques such as rhythm, rhyme, and structure to convey a sense of musicality and tone. To give emotion to the piece, it includes vivid imagery so that the reader can clearly visualise and interpret what the poem is saying. The five senses and figurative language are used by poets to do so. Poetry can be as short and simple as a couple of words, or as long and complex as a Shakespearian sonnet. In review, poetry is a mix of words, visuals and song.

Annabel Ling (Year 5)

Autumn

Leaves twirl and pirouette in the chilly wind,

Dancing to a melody no-one can hear.

The foliage crinkles in song like pages turning,

As the last of the emerald-green leaves disappear.

Harriet Chandler (Year 6)

The Old Acacia Tree

A wise old acacia tree lives at the end of the Earth,

And the wattles which she grows should not be concerned.

For the tree has lived, regardless of its worth,

For thousands of years in the same damp dirt.

And oh, the remarkable things she has learned.

Alexandra Millin (Year 6)

Playing with Sound Using Alliteration

Joyful Georgina

Joyful Georgina went on a jam-packed journey to Japan with her giraffe called Gerald.

Then Gerald the giraffe jumped out of the jittery jeep and started jiggling the Jupiter jig.

Joyful Georgina joked that Gerald was a jovial jogger from Jupiter.

Jealous Jade was less than joyful or jovial, she was joyless.

Gerald and joyful Georgina jumped back into their jeep and continued their journey to Japan.

Georgina Sharp (Year 4)

Autumn is Here

Bright leaves swiftly sway

Icy air whispers a song

Vivid leaves falling.

Tove Klettenberg (Year 3)

Kristy Williams
Acting Co-ordinator of Curriculum (English)

Light Her Path Fundraising Dinner

Let’s come together as a community to make our generation’s fundraising contribution to SCEGGS. It’s our turn to give!

Join us for a special evening in the Great Hall with a beautiful atmosphere with delicious food and drink.

We hope you will join us to make a significant donation to the future of SCEGGS.

Bookings are now open. Click here to book. Tickets for the evening are $260 per head reflecting generous donations and sponsorship from the community.

RSVP by Friday May 17. Please let us know if you would like to join a table for your year group or other seating preferences.

For more information on the Light Her Path Campaign, please contact the Development Office.

Capital Campaign Committee

From The Chaplain

A charity initiative for pets, another podcast episode and a long-held SCEGGS tradition.

Welcome back to Term 2! I hope you all had a good break over the holiday period. I know Term 1 was tiring for a lot of people due to all sorts of reasons so I hope that you were able to refresh for what is ahead.

Urgent Pet Supplies for the Underprivileged

Last year, we had a collection of pet supplies to provide to the Vinnies Community Centre at Redfern and it was a huge success.  A number of people that use the centre have pets that are often their only companion. These pets provide comfort and love, especially during tough times. Some of these people live on the street or by themselves in public housing. Many of these people can’t afford to buy the essentials to look after their animals and this becomes another point of frustration and worry for them. I am asking for donations of pet food and pet accessories (eg. Bowls, collars, leashes, beds, toys etc. new or used but in good condition) to be given to the centre for distribution amongst their clientele on their annual Pet Day. There will be a basket outside the Chapel, clearly labelled, where donations can be left until Friday 10 May. If anyone knows of a vet that might like to volunteer their services for the Pet Day, please let me know.

The SCEGGS Podcast “Walk The Mile” Episode 54: What’s the Point of Sustainability? with Hudson Worsley

The concerns about our environment and the impact that we have on it continue to be a regular topic of discussion. The changing weather patterns, our use of resources, consumerism and waste management are all issues that we can not only talk about but affect each one of us in different ways. They will also determine what sort of planet the generations of the future will live upon. In this discussion, I am speaking with Hudson Worsley, a long-time SCEGGS dad and the owner of his own sustainability company. Hudson has done some great work with us to help reduce our waste and the way we use our resources. We talk about sustainability from an ethical point of view and how we might play our part in maintaining the land that we inhabit. I hope you enjoy the conversation.

And a reminder that we are published on Spotify, Apple, Google Podcast and Deezer, so you can access it easier from your preferred device. I always welcome your feedback or any ideas you may have for further episodes. You will find each podcast as they are produced in this newsletter and on the other platforms as well as our website.

Confirmation at SCEGGS

Confirmation has been a SCEGGS tradition since 1927 . It is the Christian practice of confirming the promises made on one’s behalf at baptism. By being confirmed, the confirmee is saying that they understand the Christian faith and want to make it an important part of their lives. It is a formal way of declaring publicly a belief in Jesus Christ. The confirmation ceremony is not only an expression of faith but also a welcoming into the worldwide Christian church.

Confirmation will be offered to all students in Years 8 to 11. There will be a few meetings held during lunchtime to prepare for the confirmation ceremony. During these meetings we will be looking at the basics of the Christian faith, discussing their importance and answering any questions the candidates may have. Neither baptism nor connection with the Anglican Church is necessary, all people of any faith or no faith are welcome. There is also an opportunity for those seeking baptism within the confirmation process. A confirmation service will be held during Term 3 in the School Chapel, officiated by the Bishop of South Sydney, the Reverend Michael Stead. Relatives and friends are invited to this very special occasion.

If you are interested in being confirmed this year or have any questions about it please contact me via email or call me before Friday 31 May.

Rev. Garry Lee-Lindsay
Chaplain

Secondary Sport News

Commitment to SCEGGS Co-Curricular Sport

Regular physical activity is an essential part of promoting positive health and wellbeing. Building relationships, fostering sportsmanship and teamwork is another element of co-curricular sport. We expect a full commitment to all co-curricular sporting activities at SCEGGS. Students should be respectful of the impact that any absence has on team sport: their teammates, the opposition, the coach, and the reputation of the School.

To be eligible for House points and recognition on school reports, students must attend a minimum of 75% of scheduled training sessions and matches.

All absences must be communicated to the PDHPE Department using the following guidelines:

• Parents and guardians are to request written permission for leave from Ms Allum (Secondary) or Mrs Dempsey (Primary) at least a week in advance of a sporting fixture.
• If a student is sick on a Saturday, a parent/guardian must email or message the relevant coach and Sport Co-ordinator, or Director of Sport, explaining their absence as soon as possible.
• If a student is unable to attend a training session, the student, or a parent, is to notify the relevant Sports Co-ordinator.
• In case of a clash with school co-curricular activities e.g. Musicale, Sports Training or Duke of Ed Hike, the student is to liaise with both Co-ordinators to negotiate an acceptable outcome.

Failure to adhere to the above guidelines in the secondary school will result in:

• A detention for any unexplained absences from a competition match.
• A penalty point for any unexplained absence from training.
• A penalty point for late arrivals to more than two training sessions or matches in the same term.

SCEGGS Sports Values

For those of you who may be new or would like a refresher on our SCEGGS Sports Values please click here.

Athletics

Congratulations to Lily Cooney (Year 10), Matilda Emanuel (Year 10), Coco Espie (Year 10), Annabelle Jessup (Year 8) and Nancy Newton (Year 10) who all represented NSW at the Australian Track & Field Championships that were held in Adelaide during the holidays. All athletes produced outstanding results.

Coco Espie also achieved personal best times in 400m & 800m.

Last Saturday Annabelle Jessup also competed in the Athletics NSW Dual Relay Championships (a 2 x 2km relay) and won the silver medal.

Swimming

Congratulations to Georgia Cate Baker Wood who competed at the 2024 Australian Age Swimming Championships on the Gold Coast at the end of last term. Georgia’s results were excellent as she continues to achieve personal best results each time she races.

• Placed 13^th overall for 16 years 200m Breaststroke.
• Placed 30^th overall for 16 years 100m Breaststroke.
• Placed 11^th for the 4x50m Medley Relay (15 & 16 year olds) as part of the Cranbrook Swimming Club.

SCEGGS at Play

Do you have any sporting news or photos to share in the Green Gate?

We love seeing our students being active and want to celebrate their passion and enjoyment amongst the SCEGGS community. Please send in any action shots from the weekend and any other interesting sporting highlights to Alison Gowan.

SCEGGS Training sessions before and after school plus Saturday Sport

Any cancellations or adjustments will be made in Clipboard and families will receive a notification or email when changes are made. Please ensure you have notifications enabled.

IGSA Fixtures, Results and Wet Weather

The IGSA website and platform for accessing wet weather, and team results can be found here.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact myself on 9052 2721 or 0418 491 521.

Alison Gowan
Director of Sport

Primary Sport News

Welcome to Term 2 Primary Sport News!

IPSHA Cross Country Results

Congratulations to the students who participated in the IPSHA Cross Country at The Kings School at the end of last term. You all did a fantastic job completing the challenging course and supporting your teammates on the day. We are proud of your hard work and well done on representing SCEGGS.

A big congratulations to Beatrice Emanuel (Year 5) and Clementine Finlayson (Year 5), who also made the IPSHA Cross Country team that will go onto CIS Cross Country on Thursday 6 June, 2024 at Sydney International Equestrian Centre.

Student Results

Congratulations to Georgina Sharp (Year 4) who competed at the NSW State Interschools Equestrian Championships in the first week of the holidays and achieved some amazing results.

She won Champion overall primary with her pony ‘Dipper’ and with her other pony ‘Brian’ she was Reserve Champion overall. Georgina was also 3^rd in both the primary preliminary dressage qualifying test and the championship test. In the dressage there were 48 entries and Georgina was the only Year 4 rider to qualify in the top 20.

These results mean that Georgina has qualified both her ponies to represent NSW at the National Interschools Equestrian Championships in Tamworth in September. What a fantastic effort!

AFL Paul Kelly Cup – Years 5 and 6

The Paul Kelly Cup is an AFL competition taking place across various venues in Term 2. This competition is designed to engage and introduce primary school students to the game of Australian Football. Students in Years 5 and 6 are eligible to participate.

We are looking at the possibility of entering a team in one of the upcoming events. Please send expressions of interest to Adrian Hammond.

Term 2 Sport Reminders:

• The first round of IPSHA commences this Saturday 4 May (Week 1).
• Any changes to sports, including cancellations, will be made through Clipboard and the IPSHA App (for IPSHA competitions). Please ensure you have notifications enabled on Clipboard.

Have a wonderful week!

Mr Adrian Hammond
Primary Sports Coordinator

Secondary Music

Thank you to Holst Wind Ensemble and their conductor, Mr Michael Tierney, for their musical involvement in the ANZAC Day Assembly on Tuesday.

Co-curricular Music Overview

There are a wealth of performance opportunities within the Co-curricular Music program this term.

Please read the term overview for each program.

• Band
• Choral 
• Strings

Elective Music Performances

Musicale 2

We are excited to announce that Musicale 2 will be taking place on Wednesday 5 June, with Katie Noonan as our guest artist.

There will be many opportunities for our students to be involved and celebrate the musical talents of our community as outlined below:

Secondary Ensembles Performing

Year 7 Choir (all students in Year 7), Choir, Contemporary Vocal Ensemble, Madrigal Ensemble, Year 9 Rock Band, Secondary Jazz Combo, Holst Wind Ensemble, Basie Jazz Band, Amati Strings, Lux Strings.

Further details can be found in this note. 

Songwriting & Musicale 2

During the week of Musicale 2, we would like to feature a songwriter from each year group, with one or more songs to be performed in the Musicale. If you would like to be considered, please submit a draft of your song (it may still be unfinished) to Mr Gresham by Friday 24 May. Songwriting lessons are available for free on a Thursday afternoon, though these are not compulsory for consideration. Please come and speak to Mr Gresham if you have any questions.

Term 2 Secondary Piano Concert

Thursday 13 June at 1.10pm in the Great Hall.

All pianists are invited to perform a short, well-prepared solo. Pieces that exceed 4 minutes will be cut.

Please click here to complete the form and note the closing date carefully as no late entries will be accepted.

Family and friends are most welcome to attend.

130 Years of SCEGGS – Hope Concert 2025

In 2025, SCEGGS will celebrate 130 years. The Music Department has the privilege of creating a concert to celebrate this milestone.

The concert will be held in the Sydney Town Hall on Monday 23 June 2025 and the theme for the concert is ‘Hope’. 

Hope involves optimistic thinking and focusing on good things to come. We will collect and commission works that reflect the theme of hope.

But we want you to be involved. We want to know what it is you – the students, staff, parents, and old girls of SCEGGS – are hoping for.

Some examples might include equality, reconciliation, better care of the environment, and peace. Your responses will be shared with composers, and commissioned works will be created that reflect the things that the SCEGGS community is hoping for. You have 140 characters to let us know what it is you are hoping for. Go!

Clipboard

All co-curricular music ensemble schedules are now available on Clipboard. If you haven’t set this up yet, please follow these instructions.

If you are having any issues with Clipboard set-up, please contact our Music Administration Assistant, Miss Alice Kotowicz.

Heidi Jones
Head of Music (Co-curricular)

Primary Music

Co-curricular Music Overview

There are a wealth of performance opportunities within the Co-curricular Music program this term.

Please read the term overview for each program.

• Band
• Choral 
• Strings

Musicale 2 

We are excited to announce that Musicale 2 will be taking place on Wednesday 5 June, with Katie Noonan as our guest artist. There will be many opportunities for our students to be involved and celebrate the musical talents of our community.

The Primary Ensembles that will be performing are Cantare, Stage 3 Choir (all students in Years 5 and 6).

Further details can be found in this note.

Term 2 String Studio Concerts

All string players are invited to perform a short, well-prepared solo. Pieces that exceed four minutes will be cut.

Please Click here to complete the form and note the closing date carefully as no late entries will be accepted.

Family and friends are most welcome to attend.

Term 2 Primary Piano Concert

All pianists are invited to perform a short, well-prepared solo. Pieces that exceed 4 minutes will be cut.

Please Click here to complete the form and note the closing date carefully as no late entries will be accepted.

Family and friends are most welcome to attend.

130 Years of SCEGGS – Hope Concert 2025

In 2025, SCEGGS will celebrate 130 years. The Music Department has the privilege of creating a concert to celebrate this milestone.

The concert will be held in the Sydney Town Hall on Monday 23 June 2025 and the theme for the concert is ‘Hope’. 

Hope involves optimistic thinking and focusing on good things to come. We will collect and commission works that reflect the theme of hope.

But we want you to be involved. We want to know what it is you – the students, staff, parents, and old girls of SCEGGS – are hoping for.

Some examples might include equality, reconciliation, better care of the environment, and peace. Your responses will be shared with composers, and commissioned works will be created that reflect the things that the SCEGGS community is hoping for. You have 140 characters to let us know what it is you are hoping for. Go!

Clipboard

All co-curricular music ensemble schedules are now available on Clipboard. If you haven’t set this up yet, please follow these instructions.

If you are having any issues with Clipboard set-up, please contact our Music Administration Assistant, Miss Alice Kotowicz.

Beyond the Green Gate

We are always happy to hear about ways our primary musicians are involved in music-making outside the school. Please send details to Heidi Jones.

Dates for your Diary

Term 2

Heidi Jones
Head of Music (Co-curricular)

School Photographs

School photographs are taken and managed by Advanced Life Photography. Photo Order Envelopes will be distributed to students by their Form Teachers this week. The envelope will have instructions on how to order school photography packages via their website.

To order online, you will also need to enter the 9 digit SCEGGS Advanced order code, which can be found here.

Sibling Photographs

If you wish to purchase a photo of two or more siblings together, you must order online, and note that the order must be placed before 9.00am on Wednesday 5 June; sibling photographs will only be taken if an order has been placed more than 24 hours before Photograph Day.

Additional order conditions to note:

• Late fees – a late fee will be applied to each package purchased after photo day due to the additional cost of producing these packages separately
• Package delivery – photographic packages will be returned to school for distribution approximately six weeks after photos are taken
• Previous Years’ photos – Past years’ photographs including sports, co-curricular and representative groups are also available to order under the “previous years or group photo” tabs at your school’s advancedorder site when you click on the “Order School Photos Here” button above. You can also order past packages, portrait images and gifts from your child’s unique, individual and secure advancedyou image archive site using the unique 9 digit image code found on packages you have ordered in the past.

Please contact Advanced Life if you have any other questions.

Parents’ and Friends’ Association

Class Parent Events

Raising Funds for Lou’s Place

Lou’s Place in Redfern provides a safe and welcoming space for women and children who are, or have experienced hardship from crisis, loneliness or hardship. It aims to be a space of healing so that women can rebuild their lives through therapeutic activities, making contact with important emergency services and being a place where community and building self-esteem matters.

Between the May 2 to 4 Lou’s Place have organised a fundraiser to raise much needed funds for Lou’s Place, as it does not receive government funding.

Lou’s Closet, held at the Tram Sheds will be selling Pre-loves and Designer Women’s clothing with all proceeds going to help; sustain the work of Lou’s Place.

Please find the details of the event here.

The cost of entry is $10 and more details are provided on the flyer attached and on their website. Thank you in advance of your support to this organisation; a cherished one to us here at SCEGGS as we teach about the importance of showing compassion and care to those in our local community and neighbourhood, who are struggling.

Dynielle Whitney
Social Justice Co-Ordinator